Psalm 127:3-5

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”

In light of Psalm 127:3-5, and Psalm 128, what would you say is the purpose for having children? Should parenting be considered a right, privilege, responsibility, duty, what?

As it says, children are gift from God as a blessing. Parenting is a privilege, but also at the same time it is a big responsibility because you are dealing with the human life that God values even to sacrifice himself.

What are the implications of your answer in question #1 for trying desperately to have a child of our own? How should we perceive children, as precious gifts, property, and projects…? Can a gift be demanded? When is enough enough when it comes to making a baby?

Children are gift from God. Not every married couple that I know has children. After many months and years of trying to conceive, I would get weary and discouraged. I think getting some medical assistance and adopting a child are acceptable. I oppose to the sperm bank or embryo idea though… You can ask for a gift but demanding won

How might you counsel an infertile Christian couple that has come to you and is considering starting down the road of reproductive technologies? Which, if any, of the techniques mentioned by Anderson in Ch.4, or discussed in class, would you recommend, and which would you discourage? Explain why.

AIH seems to be nice way if the husband is having a problem. If we take medication when sick, taking advantage of the modern technology is OK. I oppose any insemination procedure that involves other than the husband because of some health issues. Adopting a child is a biblical way to do good deeds that glorifies God I believe.

If a woman was promiscuous in her teens and is now infertile as a result, how would you counsel her? Should she go on with the infertility treatments? To what extent do you think she should accept her consequences and the possibility of not having a child on account of her behavior?

Past is past. I don’t blame her for her the mistakes she made in the past. She would go into infertility treatments if she chooses to. I believe that God will forgive any sins she committed and will want to bless her because God wants her to be happy. I believe in new creation in Christ. God can provide her with a child if He chooses to. She will have to be careful about her behavior though.

What is God’s relationship to fertility and infertility? What bearing does this have on the above questions? (Gen 20:17-18, 25:21, 1 Sam 1:11,20)

God answers to a prayer in faith and will grant the child. Believing in God’s miracle sometimes overrides all obstacles that we face in this modern society. He tells us to come to him when we are weary and discouraged so He can give us rest and solutions to problems in our lives.